The Break Down
by Beautiful Addiction
Summary: Kaoru is no longer the happy innocent Kaoru as she was when she was younger. Her dark past is known by no one. Pawns in a deadly war, Kaoru and Kenshin are enemies forced to live and work together. Can they save each other from insanity? [BK] darkfic.
1. The Beginning

The Break Down

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin doesn't belong to me.

"blah" talking.

'blah' mind talking.

'_blah'_ thoughts.

Chapter One.

Kaoru sighed as she sat on her couch and watched the fireplace as a fire raged within it. Her apartment was dark, except from the flickering light from the flames. When she had been a little girl the dark had never scared her. She figured that if she couldn't see them, they would see her. In fact, Kaoru loved the dark. It was where she felt safest.

Calmly, without taking her eyes off the fire, Kaoru grabbed the wine glass on the table next to her and took a drink. Maybe tonight would be her night off. Only god knew how badly she needed one of those. Thinking back, she figured her last night off had been months ago.

'Kaoru.' There went her hopes off a night off. Being a multi power Tenshi, her boss had ordered her to form a mind connection with him the instant she signed up, thus giving him the power to talk mind to mind to her whenever. The mind connection, however, limited him to that. He could only talk to her mind to mind, but not read it, unlike her since one of her powers was telepathy. She tended to block the thoughts and images of other people's minds, though. Too many people in her head tended to give her a migraine. The mind connection allowed him to talk to her, even when her barriers were up.

'What?' Kaoru answered, getting up to wash her glass and place it back in the cabinet.

'I want you to meet me in one hour at the Black Witch. The usual room.' His voice entered her mind and she shuddered. She hated the feeling of having no control over something in her own head.

'Understood.' Kaoru replied and went to her room to get ready. Looking through her closet she grabbed a navy blue halter top and black jeans, stuffing her knee-high, high heeled boots under the jeans. After sweeping her hair up into a high ponytail she only needed one more thing before she was ready to go. Walking over to a table she grabbed the middle sword from a stand of three and swung it on her back. A meeting with her boss meant no job tonight, but she never knew what drunks would be at the whorehouse he always met her at.

Grabbing her keys she locked up her apartment and walked out to her red Ferrari, jumping in and driving off. A red light stopped her at an intersection and she watched as three school girls walked across the crosswalk, laughing and having fun.

_Three girls were walking in a mall, joking around. They looked to be around 15-16 years of age, and free of worries. They walked in and out of stores, not buying anything, but having fun all the same. Then a guy called one of the girl's names and she ran to him and threw her arms around his neck before kissing him._

A horn honked behind her, breaking her out of the vision. Shaking her head she drove on, watching the scenery change as she got closer to the seedier part of town. She rolled her eyes as she watched scantily clad women stood at their corners, waiting for a john. After a few moments she saw a big sign the read "Black Witch" in bold, red letters. Finding a parking space she got out of her car and hit the lock key. She walked to the front doors, ignoring the drunken men that were cooing at her and trying to get her attention.

Walking in she stood there for a moment, letting her nose and eyes get used to the thick haze of smoke from the cigarettes and weed. After her nose and eyes stopped burning she continued to the back room. If she walked fast enough she could probably get through without any interruptions. The fates were with her today and she got to the other side without any trouble. Nodding to the two guards on either side of the door as they opened it she stepped through. Her boss was sitting at a table, flirting with one of the prettier, cleaner whores. When he saw Kaoru, however, he sent the woman on her way and motioned her to sit.

"Sake?" He asked her as she sat down. She nodded and he poured her a cup before getting to business. "Have you ever heard of a guy by the name of Tashiki Nokumuri?"

Kaoru nodded. "He's the biggest business leader in Japan; owns several large businesses, billionaire, and most eligible bachelor." She offered how much she knew. He nodded and handed her an envelope to look at, thick from the information it carried. The envelope contained everything from a picture of Tashiki Nokumuri to statistics and pretty much his whole life story.

"Exactly. Well our recent sources have told us many terrible things about Mr. Nokumuri. Apparently he has been smuggling in drugs from the United States, selling little girls to China, etc. Unfortunately, he is so rich that the police can't even hold him in jail overnight. So, the police have asked us to…help out. Tomorrow night Mr. Nokumuri will be going to his favorite nightclub, a place called Silent Night. You will meet him there and kill him, without any other casualties and without anybody seeing you. Do I make myself clear?" Her boss asked, taking a drink of sake. Kaoru continued looking through the package and found information on the nightclub, from the times its open to how much security to expect and escape routes, etc.

She nodded and he went on. "If you are seen it will be all over for us. You are the strongest Estle I have ever encountered, and you are the only one I trust with this job, Kaoru."

Kaoru nodded again.

"Okay. Go home, have a good night's rest and I'll contact you tomorrow after the mission. Try not to kill anyone on your way out, okay?" She nodded once more before standing up and walking out the door, leaving her cup of sake untouched. Hopefully she would be able to get to the exit without any trouble. The thought quickly left her when she felt a hand grab her ass. Stopping suddenly her eyes narrowed as she heard men laugh behind her. Whirling around she walked up to the man who had grabbed her ass.

"Gohei." She said his name in a menacing voice.

"Hey pretty lady! Why don't you join us? I'm sure we could show you a real good time." He said, loud and drunk. Her bright blue eyes narrowed even further.

'_Good time, eh? I'll show him a good time.' _Gohei's laughter stopped suddenly and he stood straight up, stiff as a board. Then he grabbed a small knife he had hidden in his pants and began stabbing himself in the stomach repeatedly. By this time everyone had stopped laughing and was watching him in horror. He didn't stop until he was covered in stab wounds and bleeding profusely. After watching him drop to the ground Kaoru turned around and walked out of the building.

Once back in her apartment she put her sword back on the stand and jumped in the shower, turning the water to scalding hot. She didn't wash or anything, just stood there and let the water flow over her body. After a while she got out and put up some black, silk pajama shorts and a matching spaghetti strap shirt. Going through her apartment Kaoru went to all her windows, locking them with huge bolts. Then she went to her door and locked the three different bolts. Once everything was locked and she was absolutely sure no one would be able to get in she walked back into her bedroom, turned off the lights and slid underneath her covers.

The next morning, Kaoru was making coffee and she got a tingling feeling in the back of her mind. Sighing she pressed the start button on her coffee maker and went to grab the phone. About five seconds after she had the phone in her hands it went off.

"Hello, Misao." Kaoru said, answering the phone.

"How did you know it was me? That's no fair." Kaoru rolled her eyes at the pouting sound in her friend's voice as she sat down on her couch.

"Lucky guess. How are you?"

"I'm great! Actually, can you meet me at the coffee house in about an hour? I have so much to tell you!" Misao said excitedly. Kaoru groaned quietly.

"Yeah, sure. I'll see you then." She agreed before saying goodbye and hanging up. Kaoru got ready quickly, once again only wearing dark colors. In fact, all she ever wore were dark colors. Walking out of her apartment she made sure the door was locked before leaving to meet her friend.

She got to the small coffee house about fifteen minutes early, but that didn't bother her. While she waited she bought two coffees for herself and Misao before sitting at a table in the corner. These were the times she was glad she had learned to put up barriers around her mind when she was young; there were about fifty people inside the coffee house and if it wasn't for her barriers they would all be inside her head right now, thinking the most random stuff. The last time it had happened she had been drunk and had accidentally let her barriers down. She had had a horrible migraine for a week and it wasn't from the alcohol.

"Hey, Kaoru!" A voice yelled out from the other side of the coffee house. Kaoru looked up and saw Misao standing in the doorway. Smiling she waved Misao over.

"Hey, Misao. How are you?" Kaoru asked once Misao had sat down and begun drinking her coffee.

"I'm great, almost as great as this coffee! How do you always know what to get me?" Misao said, rolling her eyes in exaggerated pleasure.

"It's the same thing you always get when you come here, Misao. Now, what did you have to tell me that just couldn't wait?"

"Oh yeah! Oh my gosh, Kaoru, I met the most amazing guy yesterday! His name is Shinomori Aoshi and he's just so dreamy! He is really tall and he has a really nice body and he has the most gorgeous ice blue eyes I've ever seen!" Misao gushed, a starry look in her eyes.

"And how exactly did you two meet?" Kaoru asked.

"Oh, he knocked me down in the middle of the street on accident and took me out to ice cream and a walk in the park to make up for it. Kaoru, I think I'm in love!" Kaoru let Misao obsess some more, pretending to be interested. After a while Misao had finally run out of things to say so they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Kaoru looked at the clock and saw she had some time to kill before she had to go to Silent Night, so she pushed all of her furniture in her very large living room out of the way and began doing katas.

After a few hours of katas she looked at the time and noticed it was almost nine pm. Groaning she decided to put her furniture back the next day and jumped in the shower. After the shower she put on some clubbing clothes, which mainly consisted of a black, jean mini skirt and a blood red halter top that stopped just above her belly button. Looking in the mirror she smiled viciously. She was dressed to kill.

End Chapter.

This was just an introductory chapter, meant to introduce Kaoru and a few of her powers.

Review, please.


	2. The Job

The Break Down

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin doesn't belong to me.

"blah" talking.

'blah' mind talking.

'_blah'_ thoughts.

Chapter Two.

Upon entering the nightclub Kaoru was pushed into a throng of people. The strong smell of marijuana entered her nose as the loud music beat in her ears. Looking around all she saw was hundreds of nameless faces. A few men to her right stumbled, obviously too drunk to walk. Seeing a stairwell she walked up it. Upstairs was the bar and it had a railing that you could look over to watch the dancing people. After getting a glass of water from the bar she situated herself at the railing, where she had a clear view of the entrance.

"Hey, gorgeous! Wanna dance?" Some guy came up and asked her. She glanced at him.

"No." She replied, ignoring him as he walked away cursing her. She sighed. She wasn't a very good dance, anyway. Taking her eyes off of the front door for a minute she looked over the dancing people. The dance floor was dark, with only a strobe light to light it up, so Kaoru could barely see anything. Kaoru continued scanning the throng of people when she caught sight of something that made her breath catch in her throat.

There was one man among the throng of people. With his blood red hair and flashing amber eyes he stood out like red tiger among a hundred white ones. What unnerved Kaoru the most, however, was that he seemed to be staring right at her. He didn't move, didn't blink and Kaoru was beginning to wonder what his problem was. Then all of a sudden a crash sounded behind her and she looked back just a moment to see two guys fighting. Uninterested she looked back to the mysterious man and found he had disappeared. Her eyes searched the crowd, but she didn't even see a glimpse of red.

'_Probably just thought I was hot. Sicko.' _She thought, going back to the matter at hand. Looking back toward the door it didn't look like anyone else had come in. Sighing she continued to watch.

It wasn't until fifteen minutes later that her target came through the door. She watched as he laughed with a few guards that were guarding the inside. From what she could tell he wasn't that bad looking, with a nice face and great body. Kaoru smiled, happily. They were always easier to seduce if they looked better.

Without letting any of her barriers down she reached out to him with her mind, instilling the desire for a drink in his head.

"Wow, I'm thirsty! I think I'm going to go get a drink." Kaoru heard him say, even though there were several hundred feet between them. She was glad she had superhuman hearing. She watched as he walked up the stairs until he was behind her and she could no longer watch him without making it obvious. Instead she listened as he ordered a few drinks.

"Why am I so thirsty all of a sudden?" She heard him say to himself. She could tell by the slight tilt in his voice that it was time to get to the real work. Straightening her clothes she turned around and walked up to him, sitting down in the seat next to him.

"Hey, honey, you thirsty?" Kaoru said, sexily. At the same time she linked her mind with his, sending the thought of arousal through the link. She smiled as she watched him shift in his seat. "How about you let me buy you a drink that'll cure your little problem?"

She whistled to the bartended and when he came over she placed two orders of the strongest mixed drink she knew. Being a bartender when she was eighteen had had its perks and now she knew of almost every alcoholic drink, from the barely there, fruity drinks to the drinks that if you drank more then one shot you were dead. Thankfully she had also built an immunity to them.

"You sure are beautiful, miss. What are you doing you doing talking to a guy like me?" He asked her as their drinks came. She smiled as she watched him gulp his down in one drink.

"Maybe a guy like you is exactly what this sex deprived girl needs." She said, leaving the not-so-subtle suggestion. She watched as his eyes widened and he smiled sloppily, the effect of the alcohol beginning to kick in.

"You looking for a good time, sweetie?" He asked, scooting his chair closer and putting his hand on her thigh and rubbing it with his thumb. She fought the urge to throw him off and instead putting her own hand on his thigh, rubbing him and slowly getting closer to his most sensitive spot.

"I don't know. Are you a good time?" She asked him, purring. She smiled sexily as he jumped up from his seat, swayed slightly, and then grabbed her hand after he had regained his balance.

"How about we go find out?" He said grabbing her hand and pulling her to the stairs. Once they got outside the club she held back.

"I know the perfect place. Let's go in my car." She whispered in his ear before kissing his neck. The combination of alcohol and arousal made him more then willing to go wherever she wanted. After seating him in the car she got in the driver's seat and drove off, heading to a small motel a few miles away. On the way she smiled at him and once again began rubbing his thigh, making sure he stayed aroused.

_The girl in the passenger seat smiled at the guy driving and placed her hand on his knee. He had told her he had a surprise for her. Turning up the radio and guy began to sing along and after a few moments the girl began to sing, too. They came to a red light just as the song was ending and they both laughed. Reaching over the girl kissed him on the cheek._

"_I love you." She whispered in his ear._

Once they got to the motel she opened up the glove compartment and pulled out a room key that she had gotten earlier that day. Her job didn't even question why she already had it; the alcohol had too much control now. As they walked up to the room he tried to kiss her neck, but lost his balance and almost fell.

"Careful, baby. We wouldn't want you to get hurt now, would we?" She cooed to him as she helped him up and rolled her eyes. Finally they got to the door and she dumped him none too nicely on the bed.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom and make myself a little more…comfortable, okay?" She told him before slipping into the bathroom.

"Don't take too long, sweetheart!" She heard him call from the bed. Quickly she pulled the lid off of the toilet and grabbed the small knife she had taped to the top. She took off her top and skirt, clipping the knife to the back of her bra and made sure she could pull it out easily, but it wouldn't slip out on its own. Then she left the bathroom and walked up to the bed. Tashiki stared at her, a little bit of drool escaping from his open mouth.

"You're absolutely gorgeous! Why don't you come join me in the bed?" He asked, patting the bed next to him. She walked over and lay down on the bed next to him. Almost instantly his hands and mouth were all over her body. She lay there, trying to fight the urge to panic and/or puke.

"You never did tell me your name, gorgeous." He said, pulling her on top of him. She grinned as she pulled both his hands up and held them above his head with one hand. The other hand was used to caress his face. Leaning down she placed her mouth close enough to his ear that it brushed against it when she spoke.

"You can call me Toorima." She whispered before licking the outer shell of his ear. Pulling back she watched his face as a look of realization flew across it.

"Too…rima?" He said slowly, panic filling his eyes. All of a sudden he began to panic, trying to free his arms. He took a deep breath, like he was going to scream, so she covered his mouth with her extra hand. Using the link she tore through his mind, paralyzing him, but not killing him. Once she was satisfied that he would not move she let go of his arms and uncovered his mouth, reaching back and pulling the small knife out of her bra.

"Tashiki Nokumuri, I've come for your life." She told him, ignoring the terrified look in his eyes. Getting off of him she rolled him over, grunting under the weight. Placing the point of the knife at the base of the skull she hesitated only a moment before slamming it into his neck, severing his spine from his brain. Blood instantly pooled at the wound and spilled over, ruining the sheets. Taking her knife Kaoru cleaned the blood off of the blade before getting off of the bed, shaking.

Making her way to the bathroom she had to hold on to furniture as the shaking became worse. Once she was in the bathroom she closed the door and sat on the toilet, trying to get the shaking under control. She only shook when her jobs included seducing the men. After about fifteen minutes her shaking was at a minimum and she got up and proceeded to get dressed. After she was dressed she looked in the mirror and sighed. She looked horrible. Opening the door she walked out to the room and instantly froze.

Standing in the middle of the room was the red haired man she had seen back at the club. Seeing him up close and personal she could see that his hair was extremely long, going past his hips while in a high ponytail. On his back was a long katana. He had been looking at the body on the bed, but when she entered the room he turned his amber eyes on her.

"Toorima?" He stated more then asked. Kaoru nodded. "I have orders to take you with me, by any means necessary."

Kaoru's eyes narrowed. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

The red-headed man smirked, evilly. "Then I will have to take you the hard way."

Crouching down he got into a kempo stance and Kaoru groaned. She seriously didn't feel like this right now. Rolling her eyes she got into her own stance. Watching him she waited for him to move. Then, all of a sudden he was gone. Kaoru barely had a split second to defend herself before he struck.

'_Damn, he's too fast!'_ She thought as she struggled to defend herself. The fight lasted a few minutes before he got a hit to her head and she was on the ground, losing consciousness. As blackness filled her eyes she realized who he was.

'_Battousai…'_

End chapter.

The more reviews I get the more likely I am to update and the faster I'll update. :


	3. The Nickname

The Break Down

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin doesn't belong to me.

"blah" talking.

'blah' mind talking.

'_blah'_ thoughts.

Chapter Three.

Kaoru felt like she was swimming through a fog. Her head hurt horribly as she struggled to remember what had happened. Without opening her eyes she sent her mind out to 'feel' where she was. Confusion settled through her when she felt nothing familiar. She opened her eyes slightly, but quickly shut them tight when the bright light made her head hurt worse. She groaned and put her hand to her head.

"You're awake." Kaoru froze, memories rushing through her as his voice registered in her mind. She groaned again as she forced her eyes to open and stay open. At first the light was blinding, but after a few seconds she was used to it. Looking around the room, Kaoru froze when she saw him standing in the doorway of the room she was in. She noticed she was in a bed.

"Battousai," she said, struggling to sit up, "what do you want with me?"

He didn't answer her question and instead just stood there, staring at her. He was starting to annoy Kaoru as she sat up against the headboard. She had always been uncomfortable with people staring at her.

"Don't just stand there and stare at me! Answer my question!" She snarled at him.

"I do not want anything with you. My master ordered me to kidnap you." He said calmly, striding across the room and opening a door, walking inside. From what Kaoru could see it was a closet and he confirmed it for her when he came back out and tossed some clothes at her.

"How did you know where I was last night?" She asked.

"I followed you from the club. You'll have to wear my clothes for now. We'll get you some later. Start getting ready, we have a meeting in a few hours." He said before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. Listening, Kaoru growled when she heard the door lock. Briefly she thought about using her mind to get him to let her go, but quickly thought against it, for the same reason she hadn't used it when they had fought.

Someone as powerful as him more then likely had some barriers that she wouldn't be able to get through without dropping her own barriers and if she dropped her own barriers she wasn't sure she could handle his thoughts. Sighing she got out of her clubbing clothes and put on the black jeans and black wife beater he had thrown at her, finding they were just a little too big.

Looking around, she saw a few windows. Going up to the windows, she looked around the outside without opening them, looking around for an escape route. She cursed quietly when she didn't find one. Apparently her captor's apartment was on the tenth floor, without a fire escape. She groaned.

Finally Kaoru decided to get ready and go with Battousai, so she could fin out what her boss wanted from her. She already had an idea why, though. Looking around again she saw a door the led to a bathroom. Walking in she went up to the sink, splashing water on her face. After that she re-did her hair, once again tying it up in a high pony tail. Once she was done she walked up to the door that she had seen Battousai walk out of and knocked on it. After a few moments he opened the door.

"What do you want?" He asked lazily, a towel wrapped around his hips, showing of his dripping, muscular chest and abs. His hair was unbound and soaked. Apparently he had just gotten out of the shower. Kaoru gulped and looked away, the image burned in her mind. For a killer and a kidnapper, he was really hot.

"I'm ready and I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since yesterday." She told him, trying to put her mind to her stomach and not the gorgeous body in front of her. He sighed and stepped to the side, letting her pass. She stepped out the door into what looked like a living. Actually it looked kind of like her living room. It had a couple couches placed around a fireplace and an archway that led to kitchen.

"Help yourself." Battousai said before walking into the room she had just come out of. Briefly Kaoru thought about walking back in there to catch him getting dressed, but thought against it. He'd probably kill her if she did that, just for seeing him naked. She also thought briefly about locking him in there, but thought against that too. He'd break the door down and then she wouldn't have any privacy. Going in the kitchen she looked for something to eat. Finally she decided on cereal, since it was easy and there was no way she could mess it up. Sitting down on the couch she began to eat her cereal, watching the unlit fireplace.

Battousai came out of the room, wearing black pants, a black shirt and a black trench coat. Kaoru could see two swords hanging from his hips.

"I need my swords." She said, watching him walk around the room. When she spoke he stopped and looked at her.

"I'll have someone pick them up from your apartment later." He replied before going back to what he was doing.

"You mean you're just going to give them to me, just like that? What if I wanted them to kill you with?" She asked in surprised. He looked and her and smiled, creepily.

"You're no match for me. I see no harm in letting you have them. After all, I don't want to have to protect you all the time." He said, haughtily. Kaoru scowled.

"I can take care of myself. I don't need your protection." She snarled, slamming her bowl down on the coffee table.

"Like you took care of yourself last night?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Kaoru's eyes narrowed. Quickly she jumped up from the couch and tried to hit him, but before she knew what was happening, he had her pinned against the wall. He held her hands above her head and positioned his legs so she couldn't kick him.

"I'd watch your step, little one. I'm a lot faster and a lot stronger then you." He whispered in her ear before letting her go. Walking into the kitchen he opened a cabinet and grabbed a box of pop tarts, pulling out a package of two. Kaoru almost laughed.

"I'd never believe the most deadly assassin in all Japan would be eating strawberry pop tarts." She said, intending to make fun of him. Quickly he glanced at her and shrugged as he bit into one.

"It's time to go, little one." He said, walking to the door and opening it, waiting for Kaoru.

"Don't call me little one, Battousai." Kaoru said as she strode past him.

"Fine. Don't try to escape, _Toorima_. Everyone around here works for my master and I'll hunt you down before you even get to the next street." He said, catching up to her.

"Whatever." Kaoru said. She followed him out of the building and into a Lamborghini. _'What have I gotten myself into?'_

End Chapter.

The more reviews I get the faster and more likely I am to update.

Review, please.


	4. The Explanation

The Break Down

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin doesn't belong to me.

"blah" talking.

'blah' mind talking.

'_blah'_ thoughts.

_Blah_ visions.

Chapter Four.

She half expected him to blindfold her, so she wouldn't be able to see where they were going, but he didn't. Instead she sat in the passenger seat watching life go on as they drove by. She could distantly feel the Hitokiri's presence in the back of her mind. Suddenly she remembered something she had been taught when she was little. Apparently reading a person's aura could tell you more about them then even the person themselves could tell you. Getting curious Kaoru decided that just a little feel wouldn't hurt and sent her mind out to search his aura.

As soon as she touched his aura, however, she had to bite her lip so hard it bled to keep herself from gasping so he wouldn't find out. His aura was completely filled with hatred, death and despair. All of a sudden she was really glad she hadn't tried to get into his mind. She could barely handle his aura, which was showing just a reflection of what was really going on inside of him. Probing some more she realized that he no longer had the will to hope for anything good.

'_What could make him feel so hopeless?_' Kaoru wondered, probing a little deeper. She found something else that confused her immensely. Loneliness. '_He's lonely?_'

The car came to an abrupt stop and Kaoru pulled back, away from Battousai's aura. He got out of the car and Kaoru realized they had reached their destination. It amazed her that she had gotten so caught up in his aura that she hadn't been paying attention to where they were going. She cursed herself. Her door opened and she looked up at the man who had opened it.

"We're here." Battousai said, stating the obvious.

"No shit, Sherlock." Kaoru replied, stepping out of the car. "I'm not stupid."

"The glazed over look you had on your face the whole way here tells me otherwise." He said as he began walking to the entrance. Kaoru sighed and followed, wanting to think on everything she had just learned rather then fight with him. When they got inside she realized they were in a bar. Men were everywhere and almost every single one of them had a beer in one hand and a hooker in the other. She guessed these were all men who worked with Battousai. Kaoru followed him to the back of the bar and just walked into a door, ignoring the guards on both sides.

'_Probably the only two men who aren't drunk in this room._' Kaoru thought, disgusted as she walked past them both. The room was empty of life, but looked as though it were an office. A desk was in the middle of the room, with two chairs in front of it. Bookshelves filled with books were against the wall behind the desk. '_You mean Battousai's boss can actually read?_' She thought sarcastically to herself. Battousai sat in one of the chairs and after standing there awkwardly for a few minutes Kaoru sat down in the other chair. They only had to wait a few moments before a door, different from the one they had come through, opened.

Two men walked in, one sitting at the desk and the other standing behind him on his right. Kaoru figured the one sitting down was Battousai's boss. While she had been expecting some fat, ugly and disgusting old man, the man sitting in from of her was nothing of the sort. He was lean, clean and shaven, wearing a business suit that made him look more like a politician then an assassin's boss.

"Welcome, Kaoru." The man said, standing up and extending his hand over the desk in a offer to shake her hand. He simply laughed when she said him a death glare. "I'm not sure if Battousai's informed you already, but my name is Katsura."

"I haven't told her anything." Battousai said, making Kaoru glance at him. His eyes were completely focused on Katsura.

"Ah, I see. Well I'm sure she's wondering why I've had you bring her here, hmm?" Katsura said, his eyes trained on her. Kaoru said nothing in response. "I know you are an Estle and from what your boss has been telling me you are the strongest of your kind."

Kaoru's eyes widened a fraction at the mention of her boss. "What does my boss have to do with this?" She asked.

"Well you see, we were having a little conversation and we realized his organization and mine have the exact same goals. However, just bringing our organizations would be two noticeable, so we decided to bring our two strongest together." Katsura explained.

"If my boss is in on this then why did Battousai kidnap me?" Kaoru asked, slightly confused.

"We wanted to see how you two worked when up against one another." He explained.

"But Battousai defeated me easily, wouldn't that mean I'm all wrong for the job?"

"Not at all. We both know, Kaoru, that if you had opened you mind to him you could have defeated him just as easily. However, I was counting on the fact that you wouldn't want to get into his head. That way, you're perfect to work with him because you won't kill him, but you can kill others. Understand?" Katsura said in the way the was really beginning to annoy Kaoru. She was mainly annoyed, however, because he was right. She would do everything she could to keep her mind separate from Battousai's. Especially after feeling his aura.

"You should be getting a little message from your boss soon. He explained to me this link you have with him, that lets him into your mind to speak to you, but nothing else. I want you to form that link with me, and with Battousai." Katsura requested. Kaoru groaned silently. Having one mind in hers that she couldn't stop was enough, but three was going to drive her crazy.

"I have to be able to touch your forehead." Kaoru explained, hoping he would reconsider.

"Do it with Battousai, first." Katsura requested, waving his hand toward Battousai. Kaoru stood up and walked over to Battousai, who watched her silently. He glared a little when she touched her index finger to the middle of his forehead, but made no other reaction. Kaoru closed her eyes and reached for a golden piece of thread that was swirling around in her mind. Mentally she grabbed it and threw it into Battousai's mind, connecting them. When she was done she opened her eyes and dropped her hand.

"Test it, Battousai." Katsura commanded from behind her.

'Can you hear me?' Battousai's voice entered her mind.

"Yes, I can hear you." Kaoru voiced out loud. She stepped aside and Battousai nodded at Katsura, indicating that it had indeed worked. Katsura stood up.

"Now, me." He ordered. Kaoru repeated the same process with him, letting him test it out before she sat down again. "Now I want another demonstration. Soujiro, step forward."

Kaoru watched as the man who had been standing in the background stepped forward. He had been completely silent and unmoving before now, but Kaoru had never forgotten that he was there.

"I want you to open your mind to Soujiro and tell me all the key points in his life, in order starting from when he was a child." Katsura ordered her. He was really starting to bug her. She hated letting people into her mind, almost as much as reading their memories. It was impossible for her to forget them once she did. She closed her eyes and mentally searched the room until she found Soujiro's mind. Preparing herself for a few seconds, she let down a couple barriers, but not all of them, before delving into his mind. His memories came to her in flashes, first as a young boy playing in the yard and beginning his martial arts training, to a teenager in class.

"He was born in Kyoto to a middle class couple. They died in an earthquake when he was a teenager. He's had all kinds of martial arts training. When he was a young adult he fell in love. They became engaged. His fiancé was-" Kaoru broke off for a second before continuing. This next memory was horrible. "His fiancé was killed a week before their wedding."

She broke off then, not wanting to continue. She felt the pain of the memory, like someone was tearing the heart out of her chest. She smiled ironically. If only she had a heart to tear out.

"Very good, Kaoru. You both may leave now, I will contact you, Kaoru, when I have a mission ready for the both of you. You are dismissed." Katsura said, before getting up and walking out of the room with Soujiro following behind him. Battousai stood up and waited for Kaoru to collect herself before leaving the room with her following.

'_At least none of these disgusting pigs bother me._' Kaoru thought, realizing it was probably because they were afraid of the man walking next to her. Rolling her eyes she got in the car and buckled her seatbelt before staring absently out the window. She could still feel the pain from Soujiro's memories.

_The boy driving stopped the car and made the girl close her eyes, wrapping a blindfold around her head so she wouldn't peek. She giggled as he led her somewhere. After a few minutes they were there and the boy was undoing the blindfold. She gasped as soon as she opened her eyes. They were at the park, right next to the lake. A picnic had been set up beautifully; with a dozen roses on top of a plate that she guessed was meant to be hers. Candles were lit all around them. Looking at the boy she gave him a huge smile and a small kiss before running to the edge of the water, looking at the reflection of the full moon and the water's surface._

_Hands wrapped around her waist as the boy hugged her from behind. They both stood there for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company and the gorgeous scenery around them. Then the boy turned the girl around and gave her a long lingering kiss before speaking._

"_I love you." He said, reaching into his pocket and bringing out a magnificent diamond ring. "Will you marry me?"_

_The girl's eyes widened and filled with tears. She shook her head yes, since she was speechless and threw her arms around the boy's neck._

The sound of a car honking brought Kaoru out of her reverie.

End Chapter.

Sorry it took so long guys.

Review please.


	5. The Doctor

The Break Down

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin doesn't belong to me.

"blah" talking.

'blah' mind talking.

'_blah'_ thoughts.

_Blah_ visions.

Chapter Five.

When they got back to Battousai's apartment Kaoru went straight to the room she had woken up in early that day and closed the door without speaking to the amber-eyed man that watched her. Climbing onto the bed she curled herself into a ball and tried to deal with the dozens of emotions running through her brain. That man, Soujiro's memories had been especially hard to allow into her consciousness. The emotions that had come with them were unbridled and powerful. Pain. Anger. The moment his memories entered her mind these feelings coursed through her as if they were her own, as if she had been the one who lost, who was left behind. They had yet to leave her.

She had no idea how long she had lain in that position, his memories repeatedly flashing before her eyes as she tried to grasp some semblance of control over them, but she knew it was at least a few hours. It had been years since she had seen memories as bad as his, apart from her own. She had forgotten how much damage they could do. In the back of her mind she was vaguely aware of the door opening and hearing footsteps come a few feet into the room.

"Get up." Battousai's cold voice entered her awareness, but she chose to ignore it hoping he would go away. A few moments passed and suddenly rough hands grabbed her shoulders, pushing her onto her back. Battousai's face came into view as he leaned over her on the bed.

"I said, _get up!_ Stop wallowing, you're acting weak." He said calmly before letting her go and stepping back a few feet. Kaoru stared at the space where his head had been only before moments before as the words he had said sunk in. When realization of his words hit her a new feeling entered her heart. Hatred. This time, the emotion was all hers. She sat up and glared at him.

"You have no idea how _hard_ this is for me. How DARE you call me weak." Kaoru growled, her voice low and dangerous. "You have never had to bear other people's emotions on top of your own!"

"That's just it. They are his emotions. Not yours." Battousai said calmly.

"But I feel them as if they were my own!" She growled, almost screaming. Then a calm look took over her face and she mentally reached for the cord that bound her mind to his and used it to paralyze him, freezing him to the spot. Pretty much the only things he could move were his eyes and mouth.

"Release me this instant." He snarled, a very annoyed look in his eye. She gave a soft smile and stood up, stretching the kinks out before languidly walking over to him.

"Aww, poor Battousai doesn't like this?" She purred, running her hand up his chest over his shirt. She brought her face close to his neck, casting her hot breath over his pulse point before licking it gently. She slowly brought her lips up so they were level with his, which also forced her on tip-toe since he was so much taller. Her breath mingled with his and she gently nudge his lips with hers, touching so lightly it couldn't have even been called a kiss. Her eyes watched his widen, but only a fraction. "I'm not going to lie. You have a very…_delicious_ body that I would just love to take advantage of."

Battousai smirked. "If you're so keen to take advantage of me then why do I detect the faintest trace of…_fear_ in your ki?"

Kaoru's eyes widened for a second before narrowing in anger. Using the connection between them she shoved every last horrible feeling she had gotten from Soujiro into his brain, before physically shoving him into the wall and fleeing into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Walking to the sink she turned the tap on, splashing cold water on her face. When she was done she looking into the mirror, only to see a scared little girl staring back at her.

"What the hell are you thinking?!" She said to her reflection, angry at herself for being so see-through. "You're supposed to be stronger then this!"

Her right fist connected with the mirror and it shattered.

Five minutes later she walked out of the bathroom only to be shoved up against a wall the second she was past the door.

"You will never do that to me again, you hear?" Battousai snarled, his hand holding her to the wall by her throat. Kaoru didn't flinch, merely looked into his furious eyes.

"Crystal." She replied, her voice calm and void of emotion. Battousai's face was dangerously close to her own as his eyes roamed from her eyes to her lips. In less then a second his lips were forced upon hers in a brutal kiss that lasted only a second before he stalked away, claiming to be getting a doctor for her bloody hand. She didn't flinch as the front door slammed shut.

"Bastard."

Battousai came back an hour later, followed by a mysterious woman who strangely reminded Kaoru of a fox. Kaoru realized this was the doctor he had been talking about.

"I am Megumi Takani, doctor employed by Katsura." The woman held her hand out.

"Kaoru." Kaoru looked at the hand that was offered, but didn't take it. An annoyed look flitted across Megumi's face as she took her hand back.

"Well, let's have a look at your hand, shall we? Follow me into the bathroom, Battousai, you stay here." Megumi walked into a different bathroom, one that was connected to the living room and smaller then the bathroom that was in the bedroom. Opening a bag she had with her she took out the tools and began cleaning Kaoru's bloody hand. Kaoru glared at the older woman. The cleaning solution stung and the woman was anything, but gentle.

"Three of these cuts need stitches." Megumi said when she was done cleaning, going to her bad to get a medical needle and thread. Grabbing Kaoru's hand she pinched the biggest wound closed and stabbed the needle through it.

"Ow, stupid bitch! That fucking hurts!" Kaoru yelled, pulling her hand away. Megumi stepped forward and slapped her, hard, before grabbed the front of Kaoru's shirt, pulling her close.

"You better get this straight, raccoon-girl. You are not a guest here. Don't even think about taking any _pleasure_ from staying here. The only reason I'm here is because Battousai asked it of me. You could rot, for all I care." Megumi hissed before grabbing Kaoru's injured hand and resumed stitching it. A look of realization dawned on Kaoru's face

. "You like him." She stated. Megumi said nothing, just continued her task. When she was done stitching it she put some ointment on it and wrapped her hand in a bandage. As they were walking out, Kaoru brushing up into Megumi's personal space.

"Don't worry. There is no way I could fuck a pompous bastard like him anyway. He's safe from me." Kaoru hissed, before walking into the bedroom and slamming the door behind her. Both Megumi and Battousai, who had been sitting on the couch, heard the telltale click of the door being locked. Megumi sighed and looked at him.

"If there is anything else you need, please don't hesitate to ask." She told him in a soft voice. She waited for a response, but all she got was a nod as he was still focused on the bedroom door. She let herself out.

End Chapter.

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Sorry it's short. The more reviews I get, the longer the next chapter will be!


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